Police suspect murder-suicide in elderly deaths

AUGUSTA - Police believe that health problems drove an elderly Augusta man to shoot and kill his wife and then himself. <br> <br> Thomas and Betty Lou Abraham, both 71, were found shot to death Thursday. Neighbors discovered the couple after Mrs. Abraham failed to show up to baby-sit a grandchild, which she did regularly. <br> <br> Thomas Abraham had terminal cancer of the stomach and was scheduled to begin chemotherapy Monday. Betty Lou Abraham previously had been diagnosed with chronic congestive heart failure, said Richmond County sheriff&#39;s Sgt. Calvin Chew. <br> <br> A neighbor, Elizabeth Starkes, said Thomas Abraham seemed upbeat, while his wife enjoyed Bible study classes. <br> <br> ``The last day I talked to him, he seemed to be in pretty good spirits,&#39;&#39; Starkes said.

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